This invention relates to starters for internal combustion engines and, more particularly, to manual starters for small internal combustion engines such as engines for outboard motors, lawn mowers and the like.
Manual starters for small internal combustion engines used in outboard marines, lawn mowers and the like typically include a pull rope wound onto a pulley connected to a worm drive carrying a starter pinion. When the pull rope is pulled, the starter pinion is moved axially by the worm gear and drives a starter gear, usually located on the engine flywheel, to start the engine. When released, the pull rope is wound back onto a pulley by a rewind or recoil spring. Such manual starters can be relatively expensive to manufacture and maintain because of the complexity and number of parts required. Also, the pulling force required for starting can be quite high because of system friction and the force required to unwind the rewind spring. Furthermore, the engine cranking speed tends to be somewhat less than would be possible for the same pulling force applied more directly to the engine crankshaft.